Vikings, in pop culture are generally synonymous to marauding, Norse gods and savage huntsmen. The sight of a Viking ship in ancient times, would make Europeans tremble with fear because it held some of the greatest warriors of the time. ‘Vikings’ were people from Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark) between the 8th – 11th centuries. They are also known as Norsemen. The young men form these tribes would sail out to other lands in search of all kinds of trade opportunities and resources, but most importantly, for finding treasure. Though the exploits of these men are recorded grandiosely in Viking sagas, their real lives and stories still remain shrouded in mystery. The Viking people didn’t write and everything documented about them is written either by their enemies or their victims. Due to this, they gained a very harsh and violent image. We explore today, the lesser known instance of a Norse sailor who chanced upon America in the search for Greenland as well as what it was like to live in this supposedly savage tribe!

     Vikings were initially pagan, and the tribes would target and raid Christian monasteries due to poor defence and wealth, though this targeting is believed to be not religiously motivated. By the 12th century, however, Christianity was well-established in Scandinavia due to the efforts of the Christian missionaries. As for the ancient pagan practices, they are practically unknown to us to this day as they were not recorded until the 13th century, 200 years after the conversion to Christianity, thus diluting their authenticity greatly.

     The Viking men majorly hailed from Norway and due to the inhospitable climatic conditions of the region, were used to enduring the elements. They would venture into sailing in their early teens and by the time they grew up, were capable of travelling farther than any of the Europeans at the time. Their navigation techniques would be passed down generation to generation and were perfected during their time at sea, as they conquered new lands. 

     In 986 AD, Bjarni Herjolfsson, a Norse-Icelandic trader, set sails to Greenland in search of resources to add to the colony. After finding nothing but frozen, barren land, they sailed further, thinking it would only take a few days to reach habitable land. However, despite several weeks passing, nothing showed up. At last, the sight of seagulls enticed the hungry and delirious sailors as it held the promise of a landmass nearby. Drawing closer, they saw impossibly high mountains and beneath the mountains was a plethora of potential, to build more ships in the form of timber. These men were not in Greenland anymore. They had sailed southwards and west, falling off the map of the known world, and reached all the way to North America!  As far as medieval sagas go, Bjarni and his men were the first Europeans to arrive in North America. This land came to be known as Vinland. More than 400 years, later, Christopher Columbus reached the same coast.

     ‘Skraelings’, or simply, Native Americans, however, imparted the end of the American colony of the Vikings by outnumbering them. Using the North American shore as a guideline, the sailors then reached Greenland again, once more to find a massive land almost entire void of trees. A couple of decades later, in the year 1000 AD, Leif Erikson was the first Viking to establish a proper, working colony in America, which failed after 3 years due to the hostility of the natives. During the same time, the Vikings were launching similar missions all around the world in a similar manner, creating one of the first inter-connected northern European systems for the first time, which for many historians, is the basics for the modern world. 

In the bronze age however (about 2000 years before Bjarni’s advent), the brave Vikings were not given this regard by their Greek and Roman counterparts. They were instead known as illiterate barbarians known for warfare (an image that is intact to this day and forms a big part of the representation of Vikings in popular culture). In truth, the Vikings of the time were capable of trade and seafaring and had collected resources and artefacts from halfway across the world. This was the start of the Bronze Age, as well as that of modern civilization and trade. 

     As for the Vikings staying back home with their families, daily life would look nothing short of bizarre to the modern man. For instance, beer was a usual drink for everyone, including the children! This beer however, had about 2% of alcohol content and had a sweet honey-like taste. A drink with higher alcohol content was consumed on special occasions and reverentially so because its effects were said to take the Viking men “closer to God”. Today, we call it getting drunk, of course! 

     The average Viking dinner too was devoid of meat, as meat was scarce and thus, expensive; they often ate fish too. Some stranger types of meat include whale, seal, horse and goat meat. They grew their own food and would bake with the produce. In their past-time, Viking men enjoyed swimming, wrestling and horse-racing and in the winters, they played games similar to skiing and ice-skating. Archaeological evidence shows children had wooden dolls and small model boats. 

     Life in a Viking tribe was a constant battle against harsh natural conditions, and this probably contributed to enhanced physical endurance within the people. Most importantly, in the Viking days, the reputation of the family was very important. The parents would teach their children the life skills they would need to survive and in times of trouble, the family would take refuge in safe, protected places. So, would you be a stay-at-home Viking or a sailor Viking?

I had always wondered what monks and sadhus meditating in the Himalayan caves eat. They stay in the inhospitable Himalayan terrain for months, if not years, within the humblest of means, forgoing sleep, food and even warm clothing. After their meditation, many of them return with immense insight on the human condition, some realise their true purpose or get world-changing ideas. What food can be enough to sustain the physical and mental needs in such case, is it the nutrients or the lack of them that facilitates such remarkable spiritual growth? 

When one is on a spiritual path, they start becoming more mindful and conscious of their actions in all aspects of daily life. Of these aspects, food is possibly the most important one, as it not only affects our physical state, but also our emotional state (through hormones and enzymes) and our spiritual state of consciousness. Hence, clean eating is more important for those who meditate or practice certain rituals regularly. Afterall, the quality of your meditation depends on the clarity of your conscience and very often, people experience guilt on both the conscious and sub-conscious level after consuming meat.

On the other side of the spectrum is the vegan diet, which is becoming more widely accepted around the world, the biggest cause being the growing awareness of animal rights and people’s compassion towards animals. From personal experience with veganism and vegetarianism, I can say that I feel happier during and long after eating, whenever I have refused to eat animal-derived food. There is something undeniably reassuring about being compassionate to creatures who do not have a voice, even if you love steak or chicken wings. 

In many world religions, meat-eating is allowed under certain prescribed conditions, which will definitely help a person of that faith deal with the ‘guilt’ aspect of the diet. For instance, Buddhist texts allow the consumption of meat if it is received in alms and the monk knows that the animal was not killed specifically for them. In the west, Christianity, while not necessarily prohibiting meat, views fast food, bigger portions and excessive meat eating as not just temptation, but a manifestation of the ego, which feeds off of more than what is required. Regardless of spiritual dictum, free thinkers of all religions refuse meat and animal products simply because they believe that the earth provides more than enough, both in terms of variety as well as nutritional content.

As for spiritual seekers, diet is just one of life’s areas that must be regulated in certain ways, in order to transcend one’s current state of being. According to Acharya Shree Yogeesh, a spiritual guru, Vegetarianism is the first step of spirituality because it shows that you are consciously compassionate and respectful towards all living beings. He explains that animals have all five senses and a mind, and when they are killed, they experience pain through all their senses. Which also means that a natural death may be free from the feeling of pain for the creature, though the karmic effects of consuming such an animal remain unknown. While this is more of a beginner’s view of food, those with a higher sense of mind and bodily control can live on as little as a glass of water a day when they are in deep meditative trances. Fasting, and not a full stomach, is known to be the optimum state for meditation.

In India, the world’s biggest vegetarian community, there is a concept of a ‘Satvic diet’, which every yogi follows, even those meditating in the remotest Himalayan caves! Satvic food is not just vegetarian or vegan food, it is food made with a conscious, pure state of mind and consumed freshly. A satvik diet includes mostly plant-based, organic food that is freshly cooked and eaten in moderation. In the modern world, it is increasingly difficult (though not impossible!) to follow such a diet as it requires one to devote ample thought and effort in every meal. For starters, you must have at least some idea of where your food comes from, how it is grown, what state of mind you are cooking it with and so on. If it is too spicy or heavy on condiments or too rich for a yogi’s basic needs for sustenance, it’s not suitable. Food that is prepared without harming anyone, with the emotional state of gratitude and purity, is considered Satvic. In fact, the nature of all things can be categorised into three qualities: Sattva (pure), Rajas (rich) and Tamas (dark). The same rule applies for your thoughts, actions and of course, food. Sattvic food is said to leave you feeling light and give clarity of intention, rajasic food will make you feel lethargic and increase desire, and Tamasic food can increase anger and negative thoughts while clouding your clarity.

So whether you are a newbie amateur seeker or a seasoned yogi, in order to ensure your diet is in line with your spiritual goals, a question you can ask yourself is this: Whom do you want to feed with this food, your desire, your body or the divine in you? Regardless of your faith or personal taste, it is most important to be at peace with your food choices. When you look at your plate, does your mind and body accept it? Can you consume its quality (vegetables, meat or just water) and quantity (portion size) mindfully and be at peace? It is important to keep in mind that consciously choosing your food based on these questions is different from craving something specific and then eating it. Your diet should not serve in feeding the lesser levels of your conscience, such as the ego. Whatever your goal, all the important answers will come from within you.

     Have you wondered why you’re always unlucky in certain aspects of your life but have it easier in other ways? Maybe you always find good partners but you get the absolute worst seats on a plane, or you can never be on good terms with authority but you’ve always lived in nice houses? Past life karma, my friend. In this article, we shall understand how ancient Indian astrology explains luck and karma, more particularly, the two planets affecting it. 

     Karma is the Sanskrit term for any action performed by the body, mind or soul. In terms of good and bad karma, everything you do is accounted for, like on a metaphorical balance sheet, which is then kept lifetime over lifetime, until you face the consequences of your bad deeds and get rewarded for the good ones. In the simplest of words, the Vedic belief about life and death is this: You were born into the material world to go through the karmic cycle and fulfil your destiny. This can have endless implications, for example, the nicer you are to your wife now, the more luck you will have with women in the next lifetime or if you treat your subordinates poorly in this lifetime, you will get a horrible boss in the next one! It also gives a bizarre explanation of why some things are always wrong in some people’s lives, for example, a person having bad luck with money probably misused the resources he had in a past life and is now bearing the brunt of it. This goes on till the day the score is settled, you have fulfilled your destiny and you get ‘moksha’ or freedom from rebirth and your soul returns to its original state/source.

     You may forget your identity or karmas from past lifetimes, but some things always stick, such as certain bonds with people, or artistic abilities… which explains why when you meet someone new and you feel like you already know them, or the talent in child prodigies or a friend’s pet that seems to hate you and only you! In astrology, the placement of every planet can give a clue to your past karmas related to it. A true Vedic astrologer (Jyotish) can evaluate your karmic baggage by looking at your birth chart, which is created using your time, date and place of birth. 

     In the Vedic system, there are nine planets, each ruling over aspects of your life: your social circle, professional life, your intellectual abilities and so on. The most peculiar of these nine entities, however, are Rahu and Ketu, which aren’t physical planets but the imaginary north and south nodes of the moon respectively. Along with Saturn, the equivalent of a metaphysical accountant of your karma, these two planets form the three malefics: the bad guys that cause problems out of your control. Rahu and Ketu are said to never change their axis in your birth chart, lifetime over lifetime! They are always situated opposite to one another and basically wreak havoc in the houses they are placed in, especially Rahu, the most malefic from the bunch. Wherever Rahu is placed in your chart is said to be your soul’s most primitive desire as well as delusions. Most importantly, it shows the enduring suffering you have to undergo. 

     Rahu and Ketu can only be witnessed during eclipses, when one of the two luminaries, Sun or Moon is overshadowed. Eclipses, also considered periods of karmic cleansing are known to be very crucial from the Vedic point of view because during these times, Rahu/Ketu are at their most powerful and you are more vulnerable to give in to your materialistic desires, willing to go any lengths to achieve them… even at the price of detriment of your soul. However, without these very desires your mind and soul would be absolutely stagnant, as Rahu is the desire to transform, improve and move forward, by hook or crook. It compels you to defy traditions and authority, it makes you seek the most shallow and materialistic pleasures of the world and above all, it gets you prepared for the bad things in life by pushing you headfirst into the abyss. Our very existence can be credited to Rahu, as we were born from desire itself. In contrast, Ketu is the more easy-going of the two and shows your spiritual side. Karmically, Ketu shows the things you have already achieved an expertise of and have no desire for.
     The ravenous nature of the planet is also reflected in the mythological story of how Rahu and Ketu came into being. In the story, the Gods and demons were churning the mythical ocean of milk to extract Amrit, the elixir of immortality. Meanwhile, a demon called Swarbhanu sat amongst the gods as Mohini, one of Vishnu’s female avatars was distributing the elixir for everyone to drink. By the time anyone took notice of Swarbhanu, he had already drunk the elixir and achieved immortality. It made the gods very angry and Mohini beheaded the demon. However, being immortal, he did not die, but remained as two separate entities! The head became Rahu and the body became Ketu. This is why, the deities are always depicted one without a head and the other without a body respectively. The newly appointed gods were then tasked with influencing the daily lives of mortals and being the malefics they are, they not only have a negative impact on our minds but also create obstacles in our general life. The Rahu mahadasha (astrological time period which is majorly influenced by a planet) is 18 years long and these 18 years are filled with rebellion, feelings of loneliness, ending of relationships and friendships, and so on.

    So what does one do for respite from this demon-turned-god? Well, like most karmic consequences, you have to face them too. Praying to Rahu or chanting the Rahu mantra can actually benefit one with endless material pleasures, victory over enemies, wealth, fame and all that jazz. However, it is bound to distance you from spiritual growth as a result. The more Rahu lures you in, the more materialistic you are likely to become and the more you steer away from your destiny.. 
The role Rahu and Ketu play in your attainment of moksha is that you have to become conscious of the illusions of the materialistic world and if not from your birth chart, some self-analysis will point you towards the things you are most obsessed with. Rahu and Ketu are the truest frenemies one can have, life after life, giving you everything you desire and making you desire more until you know how to truly connect with your soul and the path you need to follow. 

     Herbalism, also known as botanical medicine, is one of medicine's earliest known systems. It is the tradition of plant-based herbal remedies for medical conditions (Shield, 2018). The use of plants for medicinal purposes dates back recorded history and is the source of many modern medicines. Most modern drugs come from plant sources: most of the few effective drugs were based on plants a century ago, for instance, aspirin (willow bark), digoxin (foxglove), quinine (cinchona bark), and morphine (opium poppy). Drug companies are engaged in large-scale pharmacological screening of herbs, and the development of drugs from plants continues (Vickers & Zollman, 2001). 

     As part of their normal metabolic processes, all plants produce chemical compounds. These can be classified into two groups-primary metabolites present in all plants, such as sugars and fats; and secondary metabolites found in a smaller range of plants, some of which are contained only in a particular genus or organisms. The autologous roles of secondary metabolites are varied; as toxins to prevent predation, for example, or to attract pollination insects. Such secondary metabolites are the ones that can have beneficial effects in humans and can be optimized for drug production. Several examples are dahlia root inulin, cinchona quinine, poppy morphine and codeine, and foxglove digoxin (Mental Help, 2015). 

     The impact of herbs on individual body systems are highlighted by modern Western herbalism. Understanding it with example herbs can be used for their presumed anti-inflammatory, hanta tic, expectorant, antispasmodic, or stimulation effects. Consumer spending on herbal products in the U.S. is projected to surpass $5 billion per year, mainly from over - the-counter drug self-prescription. Usually, this form of herbal drug use is based on a simple matching of a particular herb to particular diseases or symptoms — such as sleep disturbance (Vickers & Zollman, 2001).

     Herbal medicine varies in its use of whole plants from conventional medicine, usually as an unverified extract; herbal mixture; and diagnostic criteria focused on the treatment of the underlying causes Herbal medicine practitioners tend to focus on chronic conditions and improve well-being because many plants are toxic, herbal medicinal products are probably more likely to cause adverse effects than other complementary therapies. There is potential for herbal products to interfere with traditional drugs, and certain interactions have been well defined (University of California, 2019).

Details of some herbal medicines widely used:

• In preliminary studies, artichoke and several other plants were associated with lower levels of total serum cholesterol.

• Black cohosh and other plants containing phytoestrogens (plant molecules with activation of estrogen) have been found to have some advantages in the treatment of menopausal symptoms.

• In some clinical trials, echinacea extracts have been shown to reduce the duration of colds, although some studies have found that it has no effect.

• Garlic has been found to lower total cholesterol rates, to lower blood pressure, to minimize platelet aggregation, and to have antibacterial properties.

• In some clinical trials, studies were found to be more effective than placebo for treating mild to moderate depression (Irvine, 2018).

     A common misconception in herbalism and the general use of ' natural ' products is that ' natural ' is healthy. Nevertheless, nature is not innocuous, and many plants have mechanisms of chemical defense against predators that can adversely affect humans. Examples are the hemlock and night shade that can be fatal to humans. On the other side the common names of herbs with different effects can be shared with others. For example, in a TCM treatment for weight loss in one case in Belgium, one herb was switched to another that caused damage to the kidneys. Another herb variety induces elevated blood pressure and heart rate, compared to another variety for the weight-loss treatment; the varieties are distinguished by the suffix in the Latin names (Mental Help, 2015).

     An herbal ingredient's legal status can vary from country to country. Ayurvedic herbal products, for example, often contain heavy metal levels that would be considered unsafe in the United States. In Ayurvedic medicine, however, heavy metals are believed to have therapeutic benefits.


     While superficially similar, there are significant differences in herbal and traditional pharmacotherapy. Herbal medicine practitioners generally use unverified plant extracts that contain multiple components. These also tend to be less harmful when whole herbs are used rather than isolated active ingredients. Although two samples of a particular herbal drug may contain different proportions of constituent compounds, practitioners argue that this generally does not cause clinical problems. Many herbs are often used together. Practitioners suggest that synergy and buffering principles apply to plant combinations and assert that combining herbs enhances effectiveness and decreases adverse effects. Herbal practitioners use medical criteria that vary from traditional practitioners ' standards. For example, in treating arthritis, herbal practitioners may observe "under functioning elimination systems of a patient" and decide that arthritis is the result of "accumulation of metabolic waste products." In addition to herbs with anti-inflammatory properties, a diuretic, choler etic, or laxative combination of herbs may be prescribed (Vickers & Zollman, 2001).

References:

W.C Shield. (2018). Medical Definition of Herbalism. Retrieved from
https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11465  as on January 03, 2020. 

University of California- (2019). Molecular mechanism of botanical folk medicines used to treat
hypertension: Lavender, fennel and chamomile among herbs discovered to act upon a
shared therapeutic target in blood vessels. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 6, 2020 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190930161856.html.

Irvine. (2018). Molecular mechanisms of ancient herbal remedies: Components of leaf extract
provehighly effective at preventing life-threatening seizures. ScienceDaily. Retrieved
January 6, 2020 www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181010132352.html.

A,Vickers & C, Zollman. (2001). Herbal Medicine. Western Journal of Medicine. US.

Mental Help. (2015). Herbalism. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhelp.net/alternative

medicine/herbalism/ as on 05 January, 2020.

     The theory that the lunar cycle would affect the behavior of people goes back thousands of years, but modern medicine has largely dismissed it. But new research suggests that these ancient hypotheses may have some merit (Geddes, 2019). 

The influence of the moon dates back to ancient cultures ' myths and mythology. The super moon has been affiliated with behavior that is strange or insane, including death, having a nightmare and violent acts. The lunar hypothesis is the belief that there is some connection between moon cycles and human behavior, otherwise known as the lunar effect. Most people view theories about the moon's impact, but science finds real effects through scientific methodology. Since decades, the moon has been said to change a person's characteristics as one of the heavenly bodies (Mitchell, 2019). 

     "His ability to turn one from inside derives from a long chain of conviction that he has the power to change the inner chemical composition of a person, even if only for a moment. Birds chanted tales of how people changed when the moon was full in mood, science and even personality. Even the moon impact worked in the English language providing the term lunacy with the etymological roots. Mental behavior was normal, and on the night of a full moon there are even several tales that tell of those who transform into wild wolves. The biggest issue is whether there is any connection between lunar eclipses and changes in behavior of people" (Solano, 2018).

     The moon has great spiritual meaning, without doubt, even if we fail to realize it. In respect, the first hunter-gatherers looked heavenward, seeing the patterns that linked the moon to the world around them, and to their own minds and bodies. With the phases of the moon came the cycles of nature, sacred rhythms that are reflected not only in clear signs like the waves of the ocean, but also in more interesting ways.Of plants fertilizing on the lunar eclipse, animals and humans trying to conceive and creating new life under the light of the full moon, and the isolation and obscuring regeneration of the soul when the light of the moon disappears, forcing us to sleep and refresh ourselves. Being connected to life, living as an indivisible part of the natural environment, the ancient man could not help but see and appreciate these cycles, but when we open our eyes, we see them all around us, even in the modern hyper-connected world (Martina, 2019).

    Based on the most recent Particle physics, there is an operating rate for everything in the Universe – stars, planets, satellites or even the moon. The brain, which is a conscious and subconscious mind responds to the moon's location and place in the sky. Neurology has acknowledged that 95 percent of our lives are dominated by the unconscious. Subconscious mind is the shared storeroom of cumulative experiences, memories and emotions over the years and lifespan and has a higher operating rate than the moons. To get into the realms of the subconscious mind, one needs constructive thinking and observatory skills (Roy, 2017). 

     Many people still call menstrual periods "moon cycles," and many continue to believe that there is a sort of synchronicity between moon and woman menstrual cycles. Some even recommend how to increase their odds of becoming pregnant by taking into account moon phases. The idea that the menstrual cycle is somehow associated with the phases of the moon comes from the fact that a menstrual cycle lasts 28 days on average, which is about as long as a moon cycle. It takes 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes for the moon to complete one revolution around the Earth, and 29.5 days for a cycle of the moon (Cohut, 2019). Notwithstanding this curious coincidence, there is no hard proof to support any link between the moon and menstruation. 

Reports struggle to establish whether more females have their cycle around the time of the full moon and whether anything would be definitive. So if you happen to get your period on a full moon early, it's actually pressure, not some magical celestial influence, which makes you catch a tampon early (Feinn, 2016). 

     Scientists researched possible connections between the moon and a wide variety of human behaviors. Some scientists looked at birth rates, visits to emergency rooms, or events involving heart disease. Others took episodes of mental illness, aggression or crime into consideration. Some even questioned whether the moon could affect stock market ups and downs. Much of the evidence is incomplete or contradicts other information. For each study that finds people losing sleep during a full moon, with instance, there is another study that says ‘hold on’ there is no relation (Wayman, 2019). 

     The human body is around 75% water, and people often ask how tides work in us. The moon and the sun work together to create waves in the oceans of Earth (the gravitational effect is so strong that the crust of our planet is stretched by these same tidal effects on a daily basis) (Britt, 2016). The moon is connected with our emotional selves in general. Within our subconscious, many of the full moon effects on human behavior and emotions are deeply hidden. So when the moon is full, it releases energy that both individually and collectively affects us all greatly (Solano, 2018).

     Early cultures believed the moon had a role to play in fertility, even deciding when a female might become pregnant. While before electricity this may have been accurate, today's effect of the moon on our sleep-wake cycle is insignificant. There have been no valid substantial associations between moon and sleeplessness, so you're just as likely to have a good night's rest during a full moon, then other lunar phases. Once upon a time, epileptic seizures were blamed on magic and abduction, rather than mechanisms within one's own body. While these theories today seem crazy, the myth persists that a full moon can cause or trigger epileptic seizures has no value today (Feinn, 2016).

Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Pliny the Elder believed the moon goddess influence evil. While there is no evidence that the moon was related to emotional instability, one theory suggests that the moon's bright light kept people awake, their bad behavior triggered by lack of sleep (Spiritual Research Foundation). 

        

References:

Britt, R.A. (2016). It’s Just a Phase: The Super moon Wont Drive You Mad. Retrieved from

https://www.livescience.com/7899-moon-myths-truth-lunar-effects.html as on 13 December, 2019.

  

 Wayman, .E. (2019). Does the Moon Influence People. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/does-moon-influence-people as on 13 December, 2019.

  

 Cohut. M. (2019). Can  the Moon Really Influence Your Health. Retrieved from

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326012.php#1 as on 13 December, 2019.

  

 Matrina. (2019). Why is the Moon so Important to Spirituality. Retrieved from

https://www.modernmysteryschooleu.com/moon-important-spirituality/ as on 14 December, 2019.

  

Mitchell. C. (2019). Do full Moons and Super Moons Really Influence People and Animals. Retrieved from

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/do-full-moons-and-supermoons-really-influence-people-and-animals-2/433601 as on 15 December, 2019.

  

  Geddes. L. (2019). The Mood Altering Power of the Moon. Retrieved from

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190731-is-the-moon-impacting-your-mood-and-wellbeing as on 15 December, 2019.

  

 Solano. S. (2018). The Full Moon Effect, aka the Lunar Effect. Retrieved from

https://www.gaia.com/article/full-moon-effect as on 15 December, 2019.

  

 Roy. G. (2017). The Relation Between the Moon and the Human Mind. Retrieved from

https://fractalenlightenment.com/29465/issues/the-relation-between-the-moon-and-the-human-mind as on 15 December, 2019.

Martin. L. (2017). The 8 Moon Phases & How They Affect Your Body And Mind. Retrieved from

https://www.elitedaily.com/p/the-8-moon-phases-how-they-affect-your-body-mind-2754760 as on  15 December, 2019.

 Spiritual Research Foundation. Effect of the moon on man. Retrieved from

https://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritual-problems/effects-of-nature-and-environment/new-full-moon-effects/ as on 15 December, 2019.

  

Feinn. L. (2016). 7 Ways The Full Moon Supposedly Affects The Human Body. Retrieved from

https://www.bustle.com/articles/185033-7-ways-the-full-moon-supposedly-affects-the-human-body as on 15 December, 2019.

     Greek mythology has fascinated mankind for a long time. Stories about gods, demons, men and women who have lived and their communications with them have caught the attention of children and their effects are the same for adult and elder generations. The stories about Hector, Achilles and Zeus are so captivating that they present an inimitable problem to historians. 

     A lot can be told about ancient mythology, the society from which the Greeks came, how they lived and what they thought about the world around them; but due to the nature of myth, it cannot be fully assumed. The myth deals with the magnificent, supernatural, and divine. Due to this reason, collective functions played by mythology in previous times for history became more important than the understanding of individual myths as it is the common thought that the history is not that what myth is (Richard, 2019).

     The common argument that is given in the support of history against myth is that history is true otherwise it is not history. A myth could be a failed history or what myths told are somehow the wrong parts of the history.  There are levels of credibility in myths. To understand it with an example, there is a myth in Greek history that Athena was born from the head of Zeus, which is completely not true, because historians believe that the Zeus never existed, if he didn’t then how could Athena, if possibly we believe that Zeus and Athena both existed in the history then it is hard to digest that how could anybody be born from head.

    On the other hand, a lot of history underlines the myth of Agamemnon's expedition against Troy. ‘Trojan War’ is the part of history, if it is exactly like the writings of Homer then it would be the part of history and not a sort of myth (Madeleine, 2019).

     According to Brelich, a known researcher of Greek mythology says, “to determine what is considered Greek mythology is one thing, and to know what is Greek myth is another”. This is more about texts (written materials) than text. Without any doubt we all have access to Greek mythology through the scriptures. In ancient times, the texts were read or performed by the Greeks to form their own sense of mythology. But myths are not the only medium for learning (unless one has a very broad definition of a text). 

    A mouth full of words can say thousand myths without accounting a writer’s/author’s name. It's just how the story goes of the creation of myths. Art has also demonstrated myths and history and allowed them to see in both senses. We think about remaining’s of sculpture and vase-painting, but forget that there were also the wall-paintings and they have been gone now with their reflection. It is just because of the media that Greek myths have been reinterpreted and exhibited for present generations (Dowden, 1942).  

     In fact, Greek Mythology is a shared corpus of subjects and ideas given in one list of stories. These tales connect, compare and contrast with other stories in the system, and are understood in the light of them. Greek mythology is an ' intertext, ' because it is made up of all the interpretations of myths that its audience has ever encountered and every new interpretation derives its meaning from how it is presented in relation to this multitude of earlier appearances (History, 2009).

    Myth has two major functions, "Robert Graves, poet and scholar, wrote in 1955." The first is to answer the kind of awkward questions children ask, like ' Who made the world? How is it going to end? Who has been the first man? Where are the souls after death going? ' The second function of the myth is to justify the existing social system and take traditional rites and customs into account. ' Stories of gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters have been an important part of everyday life in ancient Greece. 

     They explained everything from religious ceremonies to the climate, and gave meaning to the people around them who saw the world. Have you ever heard that most common consumer products come from Greek mythology with their names? For example, Nike boots are the nickname of the goddess of victory, and the Amazon.com website is named after the ancient female warrior race. Several school, basketball and football sports teams (for example, Titans, Spartans and Trojans) get their names from mythological sources as well (Richard, 2019).

     There is no single original text in Greek mythology, like the Christian Bible or the Hindu Vedas, which explains all the stories and characters of the myths. Rather, the oldest Greek myths were part of an oral history that began in the Bronze Age, and their stories and themes gradually unfolded in the archaic and classical period written literature. The author Hesiod's Theogony introduced Greek mythology's first written cosmogony or tale of birth. 

    The Theogony tells the story of the journey of the universe from nothingness (Chaos, a primeval void) to being, and details an elaborate family tree of elements, gods and goddesses that evolved from Chaos and came down from Gaia (Earth), Ouranos (Sky), Pontos (Sea) and Tartaros (Underworld) (History, 2009).

    The pantheon of deities that were said to live on Mount Olympus, Greece's highest mountain, is at the center of Greek mythology. They ruled all aspects of human life from their perch. Olympian gods and goddesses did look like males and females (although they could turn into animals and other things) and, as many myths described, were vulnerable to human liabilities and emotions (Dowden, 1942).  

References

History. (2009). Greek Mythology. A&E TV Network. Retrieved from
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/greek-mythology as on 27 November, 2019.

Ken. D. (1942). The Uses of Greek Mythology. Taylor and Francis Library. London.

Madeline. (2019). 3 Most Important Characters in Greek Myth. Theoi Articles. Retrieved
from https://www.theoi.com/articles/ as on November 27, 2019.

John. R. (2019). Greek Mythology. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology as on 26 November, 2019.